On Intermezzo, Walik Kauk finds out that the Hulkoos have landed on the planet and are moving to capture them. As he tries to escape, he befriends a Hulkoo and they help each other to get out of a perilous situation. When he reports to the Terra Patrol, the Terrans decide to send an SOS, which is received by the Sol. When the generation ship reaches Intermezzo, it destroys a Hulkoo ship and the other flies away.

At the same time, Douc Langur, who's been separated temporarily from the Terra Patrol, meets a foreigner who seems to have lost his memory. The stranger disappears before Langur can find out who he is.

The Sol picks up the Terra Patrol, including Douc Langur and his spaceship, the Hops. As the Hulkoo commander reports to Clermac, the entity tells him that the Sol might lead them to the disappeared humanity, and therefore orders him not to undertake any action against the Terran ship.